Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

Chapter Sixty Five

Towa slowly blinked as she regained consciousness. A soft yawn escaped her lips, an unusual sense of refreshment washing over her.

"Finally awake?" a voice murmured beside her.

She turned her head, and amethyst met onyx as her eyes locked onto Kaede’s.

Kaede smiled gently. "Hey."

For a moment, Towa was certain she had seen an angel.

A rush of warmth spread across her face, and she quickly pulled away, her cheeks tinged with red. "L-Lady Kaede... Please, I apologize for showing you such a shameful sight."

Kaede let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh. My. Gosh. Lighten up, Towa. I don’t mind. Honestly, after everything that’s happened, you’d think we’d be friends by now."

Towa froze, her breath hitching. "...Friends?" she whispered, though Kaede heard her clearly.

Luckily, both rulers were alone in the conference room.

"Of course!" Kaede grinned. "We’re friends now, like it or not. Besides, we rulers should stick together."

She laughed, the sound light and carefree, and for the first time in a long while, Towa felt something unfamiliar bloom in her chest. A strange feeling she couldn't understand.

Kaede sprang to her feet with ease, landing lightly. "Alright! We still have one more thing to take care of."

Towa blinked at her sudden enthusiasm. "...And what’s that?"

Kaede smirked, raising a finger. "The lake, dummy. I promised to help fix your water problem, didn’t I?"

Towa hesitated for a moment before nodding. "...Right." She still seemed a little out of it, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Kaede stepped closer, her expression softening. "Are you alright? You seem unsteady. We don’t have to go right now if you need more time. You can rest a little longer."

Towa quickly shook her head. "No, I’m... I’m fine. I want to see this through." She straightened her posture, her amethyst eyes brimming with renewed determination.

Kaede smiled at her resolve. But then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Whoa!" Towa gasped as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

Kaede effortlessly held her in a bridal carry, her grip firm yet gentle.

‘This reminds me of all those times I carried Sally using Machine God during our long-distance journeys in the game.’ Kaede mused, her lips curling into a fond smile.

With that thought, she activated a teleportation spell, and in an instant, they vanished.

They appeared on the shore of one of Raja’s great lakes. It stretched out endlessly before them, its vast expanse shimmering under the sunlight, giving the illusion that it went on forever.

Towa shifted in Kaede’s arms, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. "Lady Kaede... This is inappropriate. Please put me down. I don’t think we should be doing something like... like..."

Her voice faltered as her gaze landed on the lake’s surface.

At the very center of the lake, glowing with an eerie purple light, was a magic circle. It hovered ominously, spinning atop a circular platform, pulsating like a malignant wound festering in the heart of her kingdom.

"So this is what has been poisoning my people for generations?" Towa’s voice trembled with barely contained fury, her hands clenching into fists as rage built within her.

Kaede nodded. "I have a plan," she said, stepping forward. "But I wanted your agreement before I went through with it."

Towa turned to her. "What exactly are you planning to do?"

Kaede smirked. "I’m going to summon a demon."

Gasps filled the air, and the Queen’s ministers erupted into protest.

"That's madness!"

"After all the suffering they've caused?"

"The dark arts cannot be trusted!"

Towa took a shaky breath, glancing between Kaede and the ministers. "Lady Kaede... Are you certain this is wise? T-To summon a demon... I don’t know if I can..."

Kaede laughed lightly. "This circle was made by a demon. Obviously not Chikowan, as he is too weak for something of this scale. So it's probably his master, his Lady. Or maybe it's the 'he' he also mentioned. Either way information is needed. And what faster way than asking from the source? If you're scared, don’t worry, Towa. I’ll protect you."

Doki Doki.

Towa’s heart skipped a beat, something deep within her shaking at those words.

"She’ll always protect me..."

According to Artificia, summoning a demon required a physical body, a vessel for the entity to incarnate into the physical realm. Normally, this was achieved through human sacrifice. The stronger the sacrificed body, the more power the demon could bring with them. Alternatively, a vast number of weaker sacrifices could be used to summon a powerful demon.

Kaede, fortunately, had no intention of sacrificing humans.

"Alright, let’s see if our experiment works," she thought, internally bracing herself.

"Is it ready, Artificia?"

"Good."

A burst of blue smoke erupted at Kaede’s feet, swirling into the air. When it finally cleared, a humanoid figure stood before the gathered crowd.

It was pure white, its smooth, mannequin-like form featureless yet strangely lifelike. Glowing lines of radiant energy traced intricate patterns across its body, pulsating softly.

This was a machine, a vessel made entirely of spirit metal.

A unique creation, spirit metal was first discovered when Artificia took control of an earth golem, birthing Eve. It was a material that could only be formed when ores infused with spiritrons were used as a catalyst, allowing Artificia’s processors to shape them into something beyond ordinary metal.

Spirit metal possessed a property unlike anything else, it granted spiritual lifeforms a permanent physical body. Just like Eve had done.

And now, Kaede intended to use it to summon a demon, without a single drop of blood being spilled.